Neuron Mobility has been selected to provide e-scooters in Wollongong as part of a year’s trial with the Wollongong City Council, starting with 300 Neuron e-scooters on Friday September 29.
Residents and visitors will be able to access shared paths as well as local roads and on-road bicycle lanes within the riding area which covers parts of the city centre as well as North Wollongong, Keiraville and Woonona and along the Wollongong coast as far north as Sandon Point.
Riders will also be able to access key Wollongong destinations including Wollongong University, WIN Sports and Entertainment Centre, Stuart Park and many of the city’s beaches.
Geofencing technology will control where e-scooters are ridden (marked in the Neuron app), and how fast they can travel in certain areas.
Neuron has worked with the council to set slow-zones, no-ride zones and no-parking zones to improve safety.
The orange e-scooters with large 11.5-inch wheels and wider footplates are packed with safety features including integrated helmets, a 000-emergency button, voice guidance, Follow My Ride and topple detection.
“E-scooters are really well suited to Wollongong and they will be a great way for locals as well as tourists to travel in a safe, convenient and environmentally-friendly way,” says Neuron Mobility Australia and New Zealand general manager Jayden Bryant.
“Elsewhere in Australia, e-scooters are significantly reducing congestion and emissions while also helping to boost the local economy.”
Report Shared Rides, Shared Wealth shows two thirds of Neuron e-scooter journeys across Australia result in a purchase at a local business.
Each Neuron e-scooter contributes $70,000 to local economies annually, with riders spending an average of A$65 at local businesses per trip, according to the report.
New Neuron riders must sign up to a comprehensive list of riding rules before they are allowed to take their first trip.
Riders can also visit the company’s education platform ScootSafe Academy online riding school with city-specific training content that can help to educate riders.
Riders will be able to unlock and use the e-scooters through Neuron’s app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play and set up in minutes.
